Skype 6.1 for Windows Adds Outlook Integration

Microsoft today released a beta version of Skype 6.1 for Windows (desktop), which adds integration with Microsoft Outlook 2013 or 2010, including presence, instant messaging, and click to call support.

The integration is subtle. There are no big blue Skype logos anywhere. But if you access a contact’s information, through their contact card in the People view or via a pop-up window elsewhere in Outlook, the options you see will often trigger Skype actions.

Consider the following contact card.

Of those four round icons, the first three are for Skype:

Send an IM. Launches a Skype conversation interface so you can begin a text-based instant message. This option requires that the person be a Skype contact too.

Call. Launches the Skype call phones interface so you can call one of the contact’s phones. (A drop-down menu lets you choose which.) This particular option will work for any phone number in Outlook: The number doesn’t have to be associated with a Skype (or Messenger or Facebook) contact.

When I spoke to Microsoft about the Office 2013 customer preview last June, I was told that Skype integration would be coming by general availability, but assumed that meant it would come as part of the final version of Office. But this release of course means that the integration will be added when you install Skype. And it works with Outlook 2010 as well as 2013.

Microsoft also added a few other changes to Skype 6.1: Adding a contact is simpler than before and a new profile interface makes it easier to view and modify your account data.

Discuss this Article 14

Paul, I had to back off of Skype 6.0 desktop on Windows 8 and go back to 5.10 to get a stable Skype. It kept hanging and wouldn't let you kill the Skype service unless you rebooted. Heard anything about fixing this? I'd like to have the Outlook integration.

But to fix things on Windows 8 - and there sure seem to be a heck of a lot of them to fix - and Paul Thurrott is writing endlessly about fixing Windows 8 - you guys are suggesting that one disables fast start. Hm.

@abw1987 - I'm about to find out :) This is pretty much how Lync integrates with Outlook - much improved from the 2010 versions of Lync/Outlook. I reckon the "call" button will offer contact details for both Lync and Skype in the same dropdown. Anyway, if I remember then I'll come back and report my findings.

Paul...any idea when the metro Skype app will be updated with all of these features. Not as feature rich as the desktop app, and I don't want to have to install the desktop version if I don't have too. Thanks.